Sea of Thieves News

[h3]Ahoy Captains!
[/h3]
First of all, I’d like to extend a massive thank you to all the Captains of Adventure who have set sail since the launch of Season Seven. It’s been a joy for the team to see your ship names and their stories beginning to come to life on the Sea of Thieves!

We’ve also seen and heard the sentiment around the new Milestone system, so I wanted to explain the thinking behind the system and announce some changes.

[h3]What is the intention behind the Milestone system?
[/h3]
The intention of this system is to enable you to track the way you uniquely play and the things you like to engage with the most, and then give you rewards for that – letting you customise your ship to become a true reflection of your play style and journey.

In terms of the overall time investment and balance required to progress Milestones, it is intended to be vastly different to Commendations or Seasonal progression in that this is long-term progression, representing your journey over not just a single Season but many. With that in mind, players should expect that Milestone progression is slower than some of the existing progression systems.

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[h3]Why don’t Milestones track things I did in the past?
[/h3]

Milestones are not awarded for deeds you have already completed primarily because Milestones are designed to be a progression system specific to Captaincy – they are for actions you have completed while aboard a Captained ship, much like Pirate Legend Commendations that require you to be a Pirate Legend to unlock them. If you play on a non-Captained ship, you do not progress Milestones.

In addition to this, the team have been hard at work implementing a huge number of stats behind the scenes – which has been a significant undertaking – in order to correctly track and award all these Milestones for you, your crew and your ships. We have not had the ability to track many of these actions until now, so it would have been impossible to retroactively award everything. The fairest and most consistent approach was to have no Milestones be retroactive, rather than having a mix of retroactive and newly tracked stats.

When we were originally considering the system, we did discuss and carefully consider this limitation of not being able to award everything retroactively. We ultimately felt that the introduction of Milestones still has a hugely positive impact that makes Sea of Thieves sessions more rewarding over the long term, especially as we’re rewarding core content that will always be part of the experience.

[h3]Why aren’t the rewards easier to achieve?
[/h3]

Milestones never end as they are uncapped, allowing you to progress them forever; you can’t ‘complete’ a Milestone. At certain Classes, though, you can unlock rewards.

In terms of the balance of where rewards lie, we have rewards that are given for the Alignment itself, meaning you can do anything within that Alignment to get them. The trophy items of Trinkets, pictures and plaques are given for specific Milestones themselves, and are therefore intended to showcase dedication to a particular activity.

The intention was not to expect every player to have everything, but for players to have those items that represent a chosen play style, unique to you and your crew.

We’ve heard a lot of feedback from players around wanting more long-term goals and objectives, and the tier system for trophies felt like a good solution to this. Rather than creating completely unique trophies for the upper tiers that would have felt out of reach for some players, there is a small reflection of your personal level of dedication in the quality of its base, frame or plaque while the trophy item itself stays the same. This felt like a good balance of fairly unlocking the customisations you want on the journey, while still accommodating those players who really want the long-term progression to be represented. The tiers are a meaningful icing on the cake!

However, that being said, we feel that there are definitely changes that we can make to address the feedback around the Milestones being too much of an investment without compromising the original vision for these as a longer-term progression system. Some of this is from player feedback, but since we launched, we have also had the ability to track how swiftly players are moving through Milestones and we can see areas that are not aligning with the time we anticipated.

Some of the most vocal feedback we’ve heard has been around timed activities like sleeping and sitting. When we were building the Milestone system, we really wanted all play styles to be represented. For instance, an Alignment like The Rogue represents those who enjoy the whimsical charm of life aboard ship – the role-players. We wanted to include these players in a way that felt meaningful and not have The Rogue be significantly faster to progress than the other Alignments, so that a Legendary Rogue didn’t feel like a lesser accomplishment. That’s the reason we balanced the timings to be high, but we’ve heard the feedback and have now lowered these to be more achievable through passive play.



[h3]What changes are we making to Pirate Milestones?
[/h3]

Changes are being made to Pirate Milestones as follows.

The Gold Seeker:

• 'Treasures Sold’ is decreasing from 450 to 400
  
• 'Treasures Sold to the Gold Hoarders’ is decreasing from 75 to 70
  
• 'Treasures Sold to the Merchant Alliance’ is decreasing from 75 to 70
  
• 'Treasures Sold to the Order of Souls’ is decreasing from 75 to 70
  
• 'Gold Earned’ is increasing from 90,000 to 200,000
  
• 'Treasures Sold to The Reaper’s Bones’ is increasing from 75 to 150

The Voyager:

• ‘Voyage Quests Completed’ is decreasing from 20 to 15
  
• ‘Nautical Miles Sailed’ is decreasing from 200 to 100
  
• ‘Islands Visited’ is decreasing from 15 to 10
  
• ‘Shipwrecks Visited’ is decreasing from 3 to 2
  
• ‘Rowboats Docked’ is decreasing from 3 to 2

The Emissary:

• ‘Gold Earned as a Gold Hoarders Emissary’ is increasing from 30,000 to 100,000
  
• ‘Gold Earned as a Merchant Alliance Emissary’ is increasing from 30,000 to 100,000
  
• ‘Gold Earned as an Order of Souls Emissary’ is increasing from 30,000 to 100,000
  
• ‘Gold Earned as an Athena’s Fortune Emissary’ is increasing from 30,000 to 100,000
  
• ‘Gold Earned as a Reaper’s Bones Emissary’ is increasing from 30,000 to 200,000

The Hunter:

• ‘Provisions Cooked’ is decreasing from 35 to 25
  
• ‘Provisions Eaten’ is decreasing from 75 to 50
  
• All varieties of ‘Fish Caught’ are decreasing from 25 to 10

The Feared:

• ‘Cannons Fired’ is decreasing from 100 to 75
  
• ‘Ghost Ships Vanquished’ is decreasing from 25 to 15
  
• ‘Skeleton Ships Vanquished’ is decreasing from 3 to 2
  
• ‘Skeleton Lords Vanquished’ is decreasing from 3 to 2
  
• ‘Sharks Vanquished’ is decreasing from 45 to 10
  
• ‘Sunken Kingdom Treasuries Conquered’ is decreasing from 3 to 2

The Rogue:

• ‘Minutes Spent Playing Shanties’ is decreasing from 60 to 15
  
• ‘Grogs Poured’ is decreasing from 75 to 30
  
• ‘Minutes Spent Sleeping’ is decreasing from 60 to 5
  
• ‘Minutes Spent Sitting’ is decreasing from 60 to 10

The Ill-Fated:

• ‘Trips to the Ferry of the Damned’ is decreasing from 25 to 15
  
• ‘Minutes Spent in Storms’ is decreasing from 60 to 15
  
• ‘Minutes Spent on Fire’ is decreasing from 60 to 5
  
• ‘Buckets Bailed’ is decreasing from 100 to 50
  
• ‘Times Sunk’ is decreasing from 25 to 15

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[h3]What changes are we making to Ship Milestones?
[/h3]

Changes are being made to Ship Milestones as follows.

The Gold Seeker:

• ‘Treasures Sold’ is decreasing from 450 to 400
  
• ‘Treasures Sold to the Gold Hoarders’ is decreasing from 75 to 70
  
• ‘Treasures Sold to the Merchant Alliance’ is decreasing from 75 to 70
  
• ‘Treasures Sold to the Order of Souls’ is decreasing from 75 to 70
  
• ‘Gold Earned’ is increasing from 90,000 to 200,000
  
• ‘Treasures Sold to The Reaper’s Bones’ is increasing from 75 to 150

The Voyager:

• ‘Voyage Quests Completed’ is decreasing from 20 to 15
  
• ‘Nautical Miles Sailed’ is decreasing from 200 to 100
  
• ‘Islands Visited’ is decreasing from 15 to 10
  
• ‘Shipwrecks Visited’ is decreasing from 3 to 2
  
• ‘Rowboats Docked Aboard’ is decreasing from 3 to 2

The Emissary:

• ‘Gold Earned as a Gold Hoarders Emissary’ is increasing from 30,000 to 100,000
  
• ‘Gold Earned as a Merchant Alliance Emissary’ is increasing from 30,000 to 100,000
  
• ‘Gold Earned as an Order of Souls Emissary’ is increasing from 30,000 to 100,000
  
• ‘Gold Earned as an Athena’s Fortune Emissary’ is increasing from 30,000 to 100,000
  
• ‘Gold Earned as a Reaper’s Bones Emissary’ is increasing from 30,000 to 200,000

The Hunter:

• ‘Provisions Cooked Aboard’ is decreasing from 100 to 25
  
• ‘Provisions Eaten Aboard’ is decreasing from 225 to 50
  
• All varieties of ‘Fish Caught’ are decreasing from 25 to 10

The Feared:

• ‘Cannons Fired Aboard’ is decreasing from 200 to 75
  
• ‘Ghost Ships Vanquished’ is decreasing from 25 to 15
  
• ‘Skeleton Ships Vanquished’ is decreasing from 3 to 2
  
• ‘Skeleton Lords Vanquished’ is decreasing from 3 to 2
  
• ‘Sharks Vanquished by Crew’ is decreasing from 90 to 20
  
• ‘Sunken Kingdom Treasuries Conquered’ is decreasing from 3 to 2

The Rogue:

• ‘Minutes Spent Playing Shanties Aboard’ is decreasing from 60 to 15
  
• ‘Grogs Poured Aboard’ is decreasing from 150 to 30
  
• ‘Minutes Spent Sleeping Aboard’ is decreasing from 60 to 5
  
• ‘Minutes Spent Sitting Aboard’ is decreasing from 60 to 20

The Ill-Fated:

• ‘Times Damaged’ is decreasing from 100 to 50
  
• ‘Minutes Spent in Storms’ is decreasing from 60 to 15
  
• ‘Minutes Spent on Fire’ is decreasing from 60 to 5
  
• ‘Repairs Made by Crew’ is decreasing from 50 to 25
  
• ‘Buckets Bailed by Crew’ is decreasing from 200 to 50
  
• ‘Times Sunk’ is decreasing from 25 to 15

[h3]What happens to Classes I have already earned?
[/h3]

In cases where we’ve decreased a requirement, you’ll see an increase in your Class. However, should this make you eligible for an automatic reward – for example, the Captain’s Logbooks – please note that you will need to earn one more Class in that Alignment for the unlock to take place, and you will not see a pop-up telling you the reward was unlocked. So be sure to double-check your Ship Customisation Chest!

For rewards purchased in the shop, if the changes have pushed you over the eligibility threshold to buy one, you will need to progress by one more Class for it to correctly show as unlocked.

In cases where we’ve increased a requirement, you’ll see a decrease in your Class. Any rewards you had already unlocked will stay unlocked. If you had already crossed a threshold that unlocked the ability to buy a reward as a result of your progress, this will remain unlocked for you.

Again, thank you all for your continued support on the Sea of Thieves. These changes are now live in the game, and we hope you find the Milestone system to be more balanced and enjoyable while still being a true expression of your crew and their deeds.

See you on the seas!

– Shelley “Pressgang” Preston, Captain of The Isabella

After all the excitement of June, from the final fight for Golden Sands to the first reveal of the Captaincy features you're currently enjoying, July was always destined for a slightly slower pace. Even more so when Season Seven hopped the fence into August. But that doesn't mean there was nothing going on: for a start, ghost boy Merrick's lethal assailant was at large and in need of unmasking...

[h3]Content Update
[/h3]
Yes, our fifth time-limited Adventure 'The Forsaken Hunter' ran through the first half of the month, putting major spoilers off-limits until the 14th. That said, our Who's Who section did quietly sprout a single new entry along the way, and a hotfix helped resolve a handful of impetuous issues while the Adventure was still in motion.

Alongside all this, the first Sea of Thieves Mystery continued down the path of community-driven progression: with the elusive 'T' of #WhoIsT infamy finally identified and persuaded to speak up, a Sea Dog Chest was unearthed, containing a cryptic note from a dead man. A week of further sleuthing brought us to the discovery of a letter grid as Burnt Fragments began washing up across the Sea of Thieves, bemusing pirates aplenty. Another puzzle to be decoded in the name of nailing DeMarco's killer...

As a new month loomed, July saw itself out with another very welcome Gold & Glory Weekend, helping to bridge the two-week gap left when Season Seven absconded into August. While this meant that searing your masterwork of nomenclature onto a Ship's Crest would have to wait, it did give those Prehistoric Plunderer cosmetics a little longer to embed themselves in Emporium history.



[h3]News and Features
[/h3]
Right in the middle of the month, hot on the heels of 'The Forsaken Hunter' drawing to a close, came EP Joe's announcement article on the Season Seven date change. Supporting articles consequently shimmied down the timeline, but our regular Spotlight features held steady: a Legend Spotlight on the perennially positive Anja and a Community Spotlight on Skulliah from Merfolk's Lullaby filled out July, along with the latest Spotlight Showcase on Steam, handily summarising these and all the other Spotlightees since May.

And here's another lullaby: 'Elegy of the Sea', July's eminently calming addition to Sea of Thieves' streamable soundtrack. Meanwhile on the online store, the arrival of the Adventure Collection let you quickly and easily inform people which of the first five Sea of Thieves Adventures was your favourite (or confuse them by choosing the Legend of the Veil Voyage), and over on the Community Hub we hand-picked two more batches of inspirational player creations deemed worthy of the one, the only, the Hat. The one that confers Unfeasibly Glorious Fame.

July also brought the announcement that in this brave new-old world of actual in-person events, some of the Sea of Thieves crew will be strutting down London's streets to attend a panel at EGX in September. See you there! It'll be fun! Not actually sure anyone's decided what we're going to talk about!



[h3]Videos and Streams
[/h3]
With big videos dropping on the last day of June ('The Forsaken Hunter' launch trailer) and the first day of August (Season Seven update trailer), poor old July got a bit short-changed on the YouTube front. Fortunately, a couple of our semi-regulars kept the Season Seven hype coming. Episode 8 of our podcast from the trusty tavern at Rare HQ surfaced early in the month, tackling topics including the 'Captains of Adventure' trailer that had just emerged at the time of recording. Then a few days shy of the end of July, Sea of Thieves News offered a first look at some of Season Seven's smaller features, like stools washed up on beaches – no, the kind you sit on – and the ability to go all Cap'n Deckard as you enhance maps and other held items.

Over in streaming world, meanwhile, July began with Season Six's last lot of Twitch Drops for tenacious Twilight Hunter collectors, while the highlight of Sea of Thieves TV's programming throughout the month was the grand finale of Last Ship Standing. Dig through the Twitch archive and you can catch up on ongoing shows like Creator Showcase and Gold Hunters too...

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[h3]Social Channels
[/h3]
Speaking of actual in-person events, as we were before we started talking about something else, the community-run SoTFest finally came to fruition in July and lured fans from as far afield as North America and Australia to our humble British homeland. Plenty of Rare folks were there to snap some pictures for posterity, and a Roaming Meg even made its way back to Rare HQ in the aftermath.

Official channels saw a triple bill of #SoTShot contests spread themselves across the month, as the first day of July delivered the winners of the Shores of Plenty theme, the 22nd brought two more sets of winners on the subsequent Sneaky Scenes theme, and the 25th challenged players to picture themselves Going Underground. Give us your dankest pictures in the most traditional sense.

#SoTGear? Why yes, with a look at extravagant items from the Pirate Lord Hat to the Ancient Cutlass. #TriviaTuesday? Of course, ferreting around in the affairs of Sudds, Phantoms and the Dark Brethren, while giving Mystery investigators a little nudge towards a #WhoIsT suspect who'd avoided attracting much attention. Naturally there were plenty of #SundayVibes to go around too, from Outposts (New Golden Sands and Morrow's Peak) to Seaposts (Stephen's Spoils) and then a couple of spots with slightly less savoury names (Devil's Ridge and Mutineer Rock).

And in between all that, there was casual disrespect shown for Merrick's assailant, arbitrary decisions made based on your phone's battery life, some bawling into a box and even stranger things seen out there on the seas.



With Season Seven now unleashed and the next Adventure approaching fast, August is already feeling more stuffed than Donna Summer performing 'Hot Stuff' in a stuffy room after a heavy supper of stuffed peppers. So to avoid missing out on whatever's hacked from the packed round-up this time next month, you could always follow Sea of Thieves on one of these channels: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or Twitch, maybe even delve into the Forums or Discord. For now, like last month, we're off to swelter in an unexpected British heatwave. Honestly, one is excusable but two's just rude.

[hr][/hr]
[h3]Previously in 2022:
[/h3]Sea of Thieves Round-Up: June 2022 Sea of Thieves Round-Up: May 2022 Sea of Thieves Round-Up: April 2022 Sea of Thieves Round-Up: March 2022 Sea of Thieves Round-Up: February 2022 Sea of Thieves Round-Up: January 2022

Welcome to Season Seven! We hope you’ll agree that it was worth the wait, with a pool of Captaincy features so deep that you can buy and name your own ship and still only scratch the surface. This Season also brings a steady flow of other features, from the traditional sweep of Seasonal rewards to gameplay improvements, balancing adjustments and a bumper bunch of Emporium additions.

To start with, we recommend a quick soak in the official Season Seven content update video, and maybe a dip into the Deep Dive afterwards...

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Now pull up a stool (possibly one you stumbled across on a beach) as we detail everything added to Sea of Thieves in this latest update, from the headline features down to the smallest quality of life tweaks. Sitting comfortably? No splinters? Then let’s begin.

[h3]Captains of Adventure
[/h3]
The pirate fantasy reaches new heights with the debut of this long-awaited feature. Any pirate with gold to spare can now buy one or more ships to call their own, becoming a true Captain at last. But there’s a whole lot more than that to the Sea of Thieves Captaincy experience...

Owning a Ship

• When starting a session, players will now see a ‘My Ships’ option on the game’s front end. Captained ships can be purchased from here, and players can own one of each ship type to begin with. Once a ship reaches Legendary status, another ship of that type can be purchased.
  
• After purchasing a new ship, Captains can give their beloved new vessel a name. Ship names are capped at 20 characters, so choose wisely!
  
• Now set sail on your new ship to unlock more perks as a Captain!

Customising Your Ship

• Captained ships can access new ship decorations from the Ship Customisation Chest at any shipwright. Once these options are unlocked through Milestone progression, players can choose from numerous styles to apply to the table, drapes, bed and rugs, while Galleon crews can also change the chair, chandeliers and curtains.
  
• New decorations such as Ship’s Crests, Captain’s Logbooks, Ship’s Banners, Flags and Titles can also be unlocked by progressing through Ship Milestones. These can be equipped once the ship has made the required progress.
  
• Every Captained ship has a Ship’s Banner that shows the names of the ship and its Captain. This is shown whenever a crew approach their vessel at the start of each session, and is also shown after sinking. Crews scouting a fellow Captain’s ship on the horizon with a spyglass will also be shown their customised Ship’s Banner!
  
• Alongside decorations, the Captain now has the option to permanently apply customisation options to their ship. For a fee, Captains can use the Ship Customisation Chest to save a ship part, which will then persist across sessions on the current ship.
  
• If the Captain's Permissions are set accordingly, crewmates are free to keep expressing themselves during a session by freely applying liveries as before, but these will not be saved. Captains can also easily ‘Revert Ship to Saved Items’ from the Ship Customisation Chest.
  
• Captains will find a range of spots on board their new ship where decorative Trinkets can be placed, enabling players to more fully express themselves and personalise their surroundings.
  
• Trinkets are comprised of ornaments, which can be bought from the shipwright at any time, and trophies, which must first be unlocked by making progress towards Milestones – ultimately helping to showcase each player’s individual journey!
  
• Trinkets can be pushed out of place when the ship takes damage or fills with water, but can be set right by simply nudging them back into position.

Expanded Shipwright Services

• With a Captained ship now being a persistent vessel, any battle scars such as repaired hull damage or charring from fire will be saved between sessions.
  
• For a fee, Captains can have these battle scars removed and their ship restored to pristine condition, either by speaking to a shipwright or via the ‘My Ships’ option on the game’s front end.
  
• Shipwrights now present a new shop front exclusively to Captains and their crew. This offers a variety of supplies to stock up Captained ships ahead of a Voyage, with purchases being placed directly into the ship’s barrels.

Captain’s Voyages

• In addition to restocking supplies, shipwrights now offer Captains an exclusive range of Voyages, enabling Captains and crews to curate their journeys by selecting from specific activities, Voyage lengths and difficulties (and resulting rewards) before setting sail.
  
• Captain’s Voyages cover a range of Trading Companies, and once purchased will be delivered to the Captain’s Bookshelf aboard the ship for easy access while at sea.

Pirate and Ship Milestones

• Milestones are a permanent record of a player’s accomplishments while aboard a Captained ship, both those of the crew and the ship itself! These can be accessed via the Ship’s Log tab of the game menu.
  
• Pirate Milestones are personal and reflect the actions that players have taken while sailing on a Captained ship. Ship Milestones are achieved by a specific ship and tied to actions performed aboard that ship.
  
• Milestones are grouped into Alignments, each representing a different play style. For example, Milestones related to earning gold and selling treasure will progress The Gold Seeker Alignment, while those more focused on socialising and enjoying the pirate life will progress The Rogue. Each Alignment offers rewards to unlock including Trinkets, ship decorations and Titles.

Captain’s Logbook

• Players aboard a Captained ship will find a new book on the Captain’s Table. This Captain’s Logbook provides a record of the crew’s latest journeys, with a fresh log being started each session. The Captain’s Logbook can also be customised by pinning the Captain and crew’s most prized Milestone accomplishments for all to see.
  
• When a Captained ship is sunk, the Captain’s Logbook will remain in the water, allowing other crews to review the adventures of the ill-fated crew before selling the Recovered Captain’s Logbook to The Reaper’s Bones. The price paid will increase based on the sailing time of the ship that was sunk!

The Sovereigns

• A new group has arrived at the Outposts, offering an exclusive service to Captains and their crews. The Sovereigns can be found in the new marquees at the docks, offering a handy harpoon and Rowboat winch, allowing Captained crews to offload treasure from their vessels with ease.
  
• The Sovereigns will pass treasure along to the appropriate Trading Company, returning 100% of the profit to the crew. However, any treasure destined for The Reaper’s Bones or The Hunter’s Call will not be accepted by the Sovereigns.
  
• When receiving an item that can be offered to multiple Trading Companies, the Sovereigns will deliver it to a random Company. However, if the crew is representing a Trading Company as an Emissary, the treasure will always be delivered to that Company.

Captaincy Info & Tips

• A new ‘Info & Tips’ option in the game menu contains a set of written tutorials on everything crews need to know about Captaincy.

Hiding Ship and Captain Names

• Content creators who choose to use ‘Replace Gamertags’ from the in-game settings will now find that this feature also hides the Captain’s chosen ship name from their viewers, showing one from a predefined list instead.

Captains of Adventure Achievements

New Xbox and Steam achievements can be unlocked by progressing through the game’s variety of new features. A total of 300 gamerscore is available to earn from this update, and these achievements will remain in the game indefinitely.

• O Captain! [10G]
  
• The Quartermaster [10G]
  
• A Crewed Wisdom [15G]
  
• The Art Collector [15G]
  
• Ready for Next Time [15G]
  
• A Touch of Class [20G]
  
• Chasing the Horizon [20G]
  
• A Veteran Voyager [20G]
  
• That’s ‘Captain’, Mate... [25G]
  
• Spared No Expense [30G]
  
• A Professional Pirate [35G]
  
• A Seasoned Ship [35G]
  
• A Fleeting Fancy [50G]

[h3]Season Seven
[/h3]
We haven’t skimped on the standard Seasonal expectations: raising your Renown once again helps you climb this Season’s 100 levels, with goodies to grab along the way (and an optional Plunder Pass adding more to the pool). Refreshed rewards for strong Emissary performances too!

Season Seven Progression and Rewards

• Season Seven offers a refreshed progression path with Trials and Deeds for new and experienced pirates alike. Weekly, monthly and Seasonal goals all reward players for exploring the Sea of Thieves.
  
• Players can capitalise on the introduction of Captains of Adventure this Season to earn Renown, both by completing Captain’s Voyages and by selling Recovered Captain’s Logbooks taken from rival crews!
  
• Making progress through the 100 levels of this Season will reward pirates with the new Courage of Captaincy clothing set, along with time-limited Perilous Seas cosmetics.
  
• Legendary pirates or those who become Pirate Legends during Season Seven can also earn Merrick’s Jacket and Cutlass.
  
• Completing tiers of Seasonal progression will also award unique Titles from the Perilous Seas theme, allowing players to display their success for all to see.

Season Seven Plunder Pass

• Purchase Season Seven’s Plunder Pass to gain access to a plethora of unlockable, previously unseen rewards along with bundles of Ancient Coins, all available to earn by climbing the levels of Seasonal progression.
  
• Plunder Pass purchasers this Season can earn the full Beachcomber’s Bounty Ship Collection, including Collector’s variants.
  
• For those looking to truly transform themselves, the Baleful Bloom Costume can also be earned, evolving through three stages as players progress through the Season.
  Unable to fully upgrade the costume before the Season ends? Upgrades will still be available through in-game activities in a later Season.
• The Season Seven Plunder Pass is available to purchase in-game through the Pirate Log or Pirate Emporium, or from the Steam Item Store.

Season Seven Emissary Ledger Rewards

• Representing the Gold Hoarders in their Emissary Ledger can now earn players the Tribute Peak Drum and Concertina.
  
• Players seeking out the secrets of the Order of Souls can earn the Relic of Darkness Drum and Concertina.
  
• The Merchant Alliance honour their high-performing Ledger representatives with the Merchant Ambassador Drum and Concertina.
  
• Flying the flag of The Reaper’s Bones and earning a high rank in their Ledger can earn players the Masked Renegade Drum and Concertina.
  
• Legendary pirates representing Athena’s Fortune in their Ledger can earn the Magpie’s Glory Drum and Concertina to show their allegiance to the Pirate Lord.

[h3]Gameplay Improvements
[/h3]
Map zooming and portable stools are some of the smaller but no less satisfying additions this Season, as sighted recently in Sea of Thieves News. There’s also a suite of balancing changes based on feedback and findings: get the scoop on Sloops plus respawn and revival revisions!

Washed-Up Stools

• While players will have seen stools dotted around the world before, these special, interactable stools can now be discovered washed up on islands.
  
• These stools can be picked up and carried by players. Fancy a seat on the beach while your crew digs for treasure? Now you can bring your own!

Map Zoom

• Players can now zoom in on any map, note or Quest Book being held. While holding up the item, clicking the Right Stick on controller or the ‘F’ key on PC will zoom in and improve visibility of those hard-to-spot landmarks. The keybinding can be changed via the Settings Menu.
  
• Players equipping a map or Quest Book for the first time are now shown a tutorial explaining how to use this new feature.

Removal of Reviving on Enemy Ships

• When on board an enemy ship, players are no longer able to revive their crewmates.

Reduced Ferry Time for Solo Crews

• Solo players defeated and sent to the Ferry of the Damned now have a reduced waiting time before they can return to their ship, getting them back into the gameplay more quickly.

Reduced Cannonball Knockback on Sloops

• Players aboard a Sloop will find that the knockback from cannonball splash damage no longer propels them so far into the air, preventing them from being so easily sent overboard. However, they will still be knocked back and disorientated by the blast.

Sloop Mast Damage Rebalance

• A Sloop’s mast is now more resilient than other ship types, taking two chainshot strikes or three cannonballs before being toppled. Initial strikes will still damage the mast and can be repaired individually. The masts on Brigantines and Galleons remain unchanged.

Disabling Sloop Mast Friendly Fire

• Chainshots will no longer damage the masts of players’ own ships when fired upwards from a cannon on the deck.

Additional Sloop Respawn Locations

• New respawn locations have been added around the Sloop, providing more variety in where crew members will return from the Ferry of the Damned. The vulnerable helm location has also been modified to give returning players more visibility over the surrounding area.

[h3]Pirate Emporium
[/h3]
Joining a brand new Plunder Pass on the Emporium shelves this month are Ship’s Crests for new Captains (and Renaming Deeds for those who change their minds), the extensive Wrecker Wrangler range, emotes to suit several types of self-indulgence and a whole lot more besides!

Ship’s Crests

• The Pirate Emporium now offers a small selection of exclusive Ship’s Crest designs for Captains. Choose from the Weeping Waves, Royal Coronet, Reaver, Forgotten Temple and Big Game Hunter Ship’s Crests.

Ship Renaming Deeds

• Captains wishing to rename their ship can now purchase a Ship Renaming Deed from the Pirate Emporium, each providing a single use. All earned progress on the ship will remain after it has been renamed. Players will need to return to the ‘My Ships’ option on the game’s front end to use a Renaming Deed.

Wrecker Wrangler Ship Collection

• Browse all the items in the Wrecker Wrangler Ship Collection, including premium Collector's Figurehead and Sails.
  
• For those who only want the bare essentials, the core components of this proudly piscine ship set can be purchased as an Essentials Bundle.

Wrecker Wrangler Costume

• This costume is inspired by the Wreckers that dwell down in the darkness, and might just scare the living daylights out of your fellow divers.
  
• While wearing the Wrecker Wrangler Costume, players can perform the Soaked to the Skin Emote.

Wrecker Wrangler Weapons

• Festooned with glowing eyeballs, fins and fangs, these four weapons spell deep trouble for people you don’t like.

Wrecker Wrangler Fishing Rod

• The object of a bizarre ritual to create a rod that only attracts Wreckers, this rod... doesn’t do that at all.

Bilge Rat Weapon Pose Emotes

• Let the enemy decide whether you’re dangerous or just drunk with this set of expressive emotes.

Portable Portrait Emote Bundle

• A collection of six emotes for pirates who know they’re the most picturesque sight on the seas!

Freebie Promising Portrait Emote

• There’s bound to be something worth capturing here, if you can calm down and keep still for a minute.

Wrecker's Wrath Bundle (Store Only)

• Available only from the Steam Stores, this bundle contains the Wrecker Wrangler Costume, Fishing Rod and Weapon Bundle, 550 Ancient Coins and a free 25,000 gold bonus for use in the Outpost shops! Head to the Steam Item Store to find out more.

Spitting Contest Emote Removal

• Following internal review, the Spitting Contest Emote has been removed from the game. This emote is no longer purchasable within the Pirate Emporium, and players who previously purchased the emote will be refunded accordingly with Ancient Coins.

[h3]Outpost Cosmetics
[/h3]

Rusty Cutlasses Restocked

• The Outpost weapon shops have been restocked with a range of old cutlasses, allowing pirates to once again purchase the Grand Admiral, Castaway Bilge Rat, Scurvy Bilge Rat and Ruffian Sea Dog Cutlasses.

Additional Sail Colours

• The Outpost shipwrights have added new sails to their wares for players to purchase with gold. The new sails on offer include the Navy Blue Sailor, Burgundy Sailor, Bottle Green Sailor, Orange Sailor and Purple Sailor Sails.

[h3]Events
[/h3]

Twitch Drops

• Continue to unlock even more cosmetics throughout Season Seven with Twitch Drops! Stay tuned to Sea of Thieves social channels to find out when Twitch Drops will be active for Partnered streamers, allowing players to earn clothing items from the Rising Morningstar set in the first set of Drops. Find out how to link your accounts and more on our dedicated Twitch Drops page.

[h3]Updates
[/h3]

Outpost Trinket Points

• When players explore the Outpost taverns, they will now find spots where they can choose to place their newly earned Trinkets, allowing them to mount their prized trophies for all to see!

Ship Customisation Memory Optimisations

• As more ship customisation options arrive in this update, memory optimisations have been made to protect lower-spec hardware. Players on older consoles or lower-spec PC hardware may find that when several highly decorated ships come together, the game will optimise performance by changing the appearance of some ship customisations.
  
• Players on PC will still have the ability to configure how much system memory can be allocated to these decorated ships, ensuring higher-spec hardware can show a wider range of customisations.

[h3]Fixed Issues
[/h3]

Gameplay

• Emissaries passing into a Tunnel of the Damned will once again drop a Broken Emissary Flag in the water upon leaving the server.
  
• When a ship’s harpoon is used to retrieve items and drop them on the edge of the hull, the items on board are now correctly identified and the correct Emissary Grade progression granted.
  
• Cosmetic and Vanity Chests now once again sort owned cosmetics by the date they were added to the game.
  
• Multiple appearances of Graymarrow and Briggsy can no longer be created by cancelling and restarting Tall Tale checkpoints.

Legend of the Veil Voyage

• Crews defeating the Soulflame Captain during a Haunted Island encounter will now be granted the correct number of rewards, along with the intended Emissary Grade progression when sailing as an Emissary.

Environment

• There should no longer be a light source where Tina used to be during the ‘Lost Sands’ Adventure.
  
• The rug at Mercy’s End Fortress should no longer intersect with the floor.
  
• Players can no longer intersect with the archway near Sea Fort Treasury rooms, causing them to see through the environment.
  
• Skeletons should now navigate smoothly around Skeleton Forts.
  
• Movement around the pillars near the Sea Fort storeroom should no longer feel restricted.
  
• The correct model for Hendrick is now present at the Spoils of Plenty Seapost.
  
• Players will no longer appear underwater when becoming stuck under a pier at New Golden Sands Outpost.
  
• Barrels and crates on the first floor of Ancient Gold Fortress will no longer make players’ movement feel restricted.
  
• Players will no longer intersect with the floor at the entrance to Imperial Crown Fortress.
  
• When exploring the entrance to Flameheart’s Tomb on Flintlock Peninsula, throwing a firebomb or blunderbomb will no longer cause it to explode immediately.

Visual and Audio

• The Wall Press Emote should no longer allow a player to move forward into the surrounding environment.
  
• The Merchant Ambassador Concertina handles should now appear as intended when played.
  
• The Pet Cage door aboard a Sloop should now be connected to the cage.
  
• The Springshell Pocket Watch should now display the correct time.
  
• A range of capstans have been updated to fix incorrectly rotated pegs when equipped on a Sloop.
  
• Players should no longer hear a muffled audio effect when being revived.
  
• The audio effect for turning a ship’s lantern on and off can now be heard clearly.
  
• After changing a ship’s lantern to different Flame of Fate colour, the lighting audio effects can now be heard.

Text and Localisation

• Order of Souls representatives and weaponsmiths should all now have the correct dialogue options during interactions.
  
• The description of the ‘Escape as Back’ option has been updated to resolve grammatical errors.

Performance and Stability

• Server stability has been improved, reducing scenarios where crews are removed from a game session.

[h3]Known Issues
[/h3]

Ship and Pirate Milestones Temporarily Disabled

The following Milestones have been temporarily disabled and will not progress when the relevant actions are completed:

• Quest Board Maps Completed – Ship and Pirate Milestones
  
• Captained Ships Spotted – Ship and Pirate Milestones
  
• Provisions Sold to The Hunter's Call – Ship and Pirate Milestones
  
• Sea Forts Conquered – Ship and Pirate Milestones
  
• Repairs Made – Pirate Milestone Only

Captain’s Stash Voyages Temporarily Unavailable

• Captain’s Stash Voyages offered by the shipwrights are temporarily unavailable.

Reduced Server Performance

• Players may experience scenarios where they encounter ping spikes at random while playing, resulting in rubberbanding or client stutters. While improvements were most recently released in update 2.5.3, the team continue to work on further improvements for future updates.

Ranged and Melee Weapon Hit Detection

• In areas of intense action, players may find themselves firing shots or landing strikes that do not cause damage to their targets. While small improvements continue to be delivered during our regular updates, we are continuing to investigate and identify further improvements to the player combat experience.

To learn more about known issues in Sea of Thieves currently being tracked and their status, head over to our Known Issues support site article.

[h3]Download and Installation
[/h3]
Download size:

Steam: 10.67 GB

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
First unveiled as part of this summer’s Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase – via a jaunty musical number, no less – the seventh Sea of Thieves Season is here, heralding the arrival of ship Captaincy! As one of the features most anticipated by our community, we’re excited to give players the chance to name their ships for the first time, try out a wealth of new decorative choices and dive into the Captain’s Logbook to review their accomplishments across the waves.

If you’ve been itching to carve a maritime moniker into a Ship’s Crest and set sail as a Captain, you’ll be glad to know that Season Seven is now available as a free update for all players on Steam.

As with all past Seasons, Season Seven also offers 100 levels of rewards free to all Sea of Thieves players, with summer-themed cosmetics and plenty of other goodies to be earned as you build Renown by living your pirate life. If you want to further your Seasonal ambitions with more premium items not yet available elsewhere, you can pick up the latest optional Plunder Pass! Find out more about Seasons in our Seasons Explained and Plunder Pass Explained articles.



[h3]Captain on Deck!
[/h3]
What is it that might inspire a pirate to splash out and spend gold on a ship of their own? To begin with, Captains are able to bestow a name of their choice upon a new vessel for all to see, visible both on the Ship’s Crest or in Ship’s Banners when someone spies you at a distance.

Captains can also purchase a wealth of new decorative options for their quarters (ranging from rugs to the Captain’s Table itself), not to mention make the ship feel truly unique by picking out places to display Trinkets. A huge selection of ornaments can be purchased right away, while trophies can be earned by establishing yourself as a consummate Captain and will reflect your time at sea.

Whether you’re a dedicated treasure-taker, fishing fanatic or simply can’t get enough of smashing skellies, your actions will be reflected in Pirate and Ship Milestones, a new form of progression that encourages different play styles. New rewards will become available along the way, and you can show off your favourite accomplishments in the Captain’s Logbook, which handily also keeps track of your current sailing session.



[h3]Shipwrights and Sovereigns
[/h3]
The Outposts are more than ready to handle the arrival of Captained ships. For a fee, shipwrights will save the customisation of a Captain’s vessel ready for future sessions, meaning it’ll be just as you remember it next time you wake up in the tavern. Scuffs and scars from previous repairs will mount up over time, so pirates can opt to restore these at the shipwright too, bringing even the scruffiest ship back to pristine condition.

Shipwrights can also deliver premium supplies to the barrels on a Captained ship. This courtesy extends to Captain’s Voyages, which are stored aboard ship rather than in your pirate’s pockets and let you influence the difficulty and duration of your next objective – so anything from a swift skeleton hunt to a lengthy, lucrative commission can be plucked straight from storage.

Eager to ensure the shipwrights don’t take all the glory, the swanky Sovereigns have arrived at Outposts ready to deal with Captains of all kinds. They act as highly convenient intermediaries, accepting most treasures at their marquee on behalf of the other Companies and permitting Captained ships to make full use of their facilities when offloading valuables.

Of course, you don’t need to be a Captain to enjoy the next instalments of our ongoing, time-limited Adventures. These continue on August 18 with ‘A Hunter’s Cry’, which sends pirates on a risky rescue mission into hostile waters in the hopes of saving the captured hunter Merrick.

Along with 100 levels of Seasonal Renown to reap, new Commendations and achievements and the continuing intrigue of our first Mystery, there’s plenty waiting in Season Seven for every pirate to sink their teeth into!



[h3]The Emporium Expands
[/h3]
Naturally, a new Season brings a bevy of new treasures. The Season Seven Plunder Pass offers advance access to the Baleful Bloom Costume – which sees your pirate gradually succumb to a horticultural hex – and the Beachcomber’s Bounty ship set, created by a marooned mariner who got themselves seaworthy with whatever they could lay their hands on. As ever, once a Pass is purchased these items are unlocked by raising your Renown and climbing the levels of the new Season, and are initially exclusive to the Plunder Pass before arriving in the Pirate Emporium at a later date.

Keen to get in on the Captaincy fun, August’s Emporium offerings introduce additional designs for Ship’s Crests, lending extra flair to your newly named ship when anyone – crew, boarders, stowaways and so on – come aboard. If your chosen name no longer seems to fit as your ship carves out its legacy, Renaming Deeds can be purchased to scrub the Ship’s Crest clean and let you choose something new.

If you’re the kind of pirate who lights up dark places (and not with firebombs), the luminous Wrecker Wrangler ship set calls to you from the Emporium shelves this month, paying tribute to those flighty fish that call shipwrecks their home. Meanwhile, the boisterous Bilge Rat Weapon Pose Emote and puffed-up Portable Portrait Emote Bundle will bring out your merry and egocentric sides respectively. And don’t forget to snare the Promising Portrait Emote while it’s free for the taking, then use it to turn any vista into a wobbly work of art!



[h3]Find Out More
[/h3]
For more information on the Sea of Thieves Season Seven update, including full release notes, visit the Sea of Thieves website. The update is available for free to all Sea of Thieves players on Steam. Simply download and install the latest Sea of Thieves update to get access.

New to Sea of Thieves? Find out about the latest free content updates on our What’s New page, get familiar with Who’s Who or pick up some gameplay tips from our Pirate Academy, which provides invaluable information on topics ranging from sailing to swordplay as you prepare for your maiden voyage. Learn more about Sea of Thieves here, or join the ongoing adventure at www.seaofthieves.com where you can embark on an epic journey with one of gaming’s most welcoming communities!

We’re back with a third Spotlight Showcase to keep you, our fine Steam readers, up to date with our regular Spotlight articles on the Sea of Thieves website – and below you’ll find no less than six instead of the usual four, thanks to a packed schedule pushing this latest catch-up deep into July.

It’s a good mix of Spotlight types too, with a trio of popular Community members, a couple of well-loved Creators and our latest nominated Legend. So fall in alongside us and find out who we showcased!



Way back in early May, we invited Captain Peachy into the Community Spotlight to talk about his fervour for the regular #SoTShot contests and his moment of fame as a synchronised swimmer. He did all that and more, throwing in some in-game photography tips too, along with bonus tales of Kraken attacks and a real-life Disneyland trip with friends made in Sea of Thieves.



Later that month we switched over to the greenish glow of a new Creator Spotlight, but kept up the food-themed names, definitely not by total coincidence. This time it was KatLikesTacos who came by to tell us about her lore-adoring approach to the game and how she balances streaming Sea of Thieves with everyday life, making a strong case for surrounding yourself with positive people.



June took us back to Community Spotlights to meet up with Sayuta, who has logged more victorious #SoTShot attempts and qualified for the Hat of Unfeasibly Glorious Fame more times than we thought anyone would manage so soon, quite frankly. Read all about those, enjoy some pirate portraits and find out about Sayuta’s involvement in community videos too while you’re there!



Video was also a strong suit of our next subject – more specifically cinematics, as we caught up with famed footage finesser and Partnered streamer TruEdits for his turn in the Creator Spotlight. Having worked with many a well-known creator while producing his own atmospheric videos spanning the length and breadth of the Sea of Thieves, this is another pirate who had plenty to share!



Then we hit July and decided to add another notable Pirate Legend to our small but growing crop of Legend Spotlights – and who better than Anja (better known to many as gaming_4nj4), one of the most uplifting pirates on the seas. We found out about the supportive approach that’s made her so beloved, asked about her favourite new things in the game and, most importantly, secured cat photos.



Then for July’s second Spotlight we paid a visit to Skulliah, allowing us to end our Showcase with a soothing Merfolk’s Lullaby. Many of that site’s prized resources were discussed in this Community Spotlight, so if you’re interested in player-focused tools such as a storm tracker and Mystery board, check out Skulliah’s insights into how and why he and his crew create such treasures!

And those were the occupants of our Spotlight slots throughout May, June and July ’22. You’ll find four more in our previous Spotlight Showcase (and the introductory instalment) if you missed out. And of course you can browse the full archive of Community, Creator and Legend Spotlights in our official News section, or see what else players have been up to lately in the Community Content section of our Community Hub.

Enjoy the summer sun and we’ll catch you back here in a couple of months for another Showcase!